Current Students

John Skovbekk

I am a PhD candidate whose interests include formal synthesis and verification, multi-agent systems, and applications of autonomous systems. I completed my Bachelor and Master of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics degrees at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. My current research focuses on control synthesis for nonlinear stochastic systems with partial model knowledge. Outside of research, I enjoy learning new languages (programming and linguistic), getting outside, and crossing books off my reading list.

Michael Moncton

I'm currently pursuing my PhD in Aerospace Engineering Autonomous Systems. I received my bachelor's degree in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Insitute and have spent several internships working for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Moog Space and Defense. My research focuses on fast motion planning algorithms that allow vehicles with complex dynamic constraints to navigate time-varying wind fields. I spend my free time riding motorcycles, lifting weights, and homebrewing.

Jenna Cooper

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Madison Ritsch

I am a PhD student currently working on the DARING project funded by Draper. I grew up in the Vail Valley and completed my BS in Aerospace Engineering and a minor in Computer Science at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ in 2023. I have been involved with the IRISS and RECUV groups since 2021 and have deployed on the TORUS (2022), TRACER (2022), TORUS-LiTE (2023), MITTEN-CI (2024), and many more field deployments over the years! My research interests lie in communication-aware, collaborative vehicle autonomy particularly with aerial and underwater robots. Beyond the lab, I am a competitive equestrian and I enjoy skiing, hiking, and travelling.

Ceu Gomez-Faulk

I am a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences with a focus in autonomous systems. I am interested in flight testing techniques and human factors in the development of uncrewed aircraft, particularly around system identification and human-autonomy teaming. I earned my bachelors in Aerospace Engineering from CU Boulder in 2023, and like to spend my free time in Boulder flying sailplanes, riding my bike, and hiking.  

Maggie Wussow

I am a master’s student starting my first full year as a graduate student. I completed my B.S. in Aerospace Engineering at CU Boulder and am in the Bachlor’s-Accelerated Master’s (BAM) program. My research interests are on the control and coordination of multi-agent systems, specifically uncrewed aircraft, and its application.  In my free time I enjoy hiking, painting (watercolor and acrylics) and playing board games with friends. 

Seung-Keol Ryu

I’m SeungKeol Ryu, a Ph.D. student in aerospace engineering at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ. My research interests include motion planning, aerial robotics, wind energy and the intersection of these fields. I am highly interested in the diverse operation of small aerial robots in our daily life. Before this, I finished my Masters degree in aerospace engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and my bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and physics from KAIST. In my free time, I enjoy outdoor running, ice skating, writing novels and essays, and cooking.

Nick Niziolek

I am a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota and I am excited to be starting my PhD here at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ in Fall 2024. Throughout my undergraduate career, my research fell mostly in UAV motion planning/SLAM, but I hope to expand on my interests as I start my PhD. Outside of research, I enjoy flying drones recreationally, biking, and playing music. 

Graduated Students

Alex Hirst

Learning-Enhanced Nonlinear Model Predictive Guidance for Fixed-Wing Small Uncrewed Aircraft. Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, August 2024.

Ramya Kanlapuli Rajasekaran

Bayesian multi-modal fusion of unlabeled data for aerial tracking of dislocated ground targets. Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, May 2023.

Dan Riley

Objective-based Mission Management for Human Supervised Multi-robot Teams. Computer Science, PhD, May 2022.

Andrew Mills

Informative View Planning for Autonomous Exploration in Unstructured 3D Environments. Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, May 2022.

Katherine Glasheen

Monte Carlo Sampling-Based Motion Planning using Dispersed Computing for Small Unmanned Aircraft under Uncertainty. Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, December 2021.

Sangwoo Moon

CARING: Communication-Aware Robotic Information Gathering. Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, May 2021.

Christopher Harnack

Aerospace Engineering Sciences, MS, May 2019.

Spencer Watza

Hybrid Modelling of the Radio Environment, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, MS, May 2018.

Scott Sheahan

Aerospace Engineering Sciences, MS, May 2017.

Holly Borowski

Performance Tradeoffs in Distributed Control Systems, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, May 2016.

William Silva

An Energy-Aware Trajectory Optimization Layer for sUAS, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, MS, August 2015.

Anthony Carfang

Cascaded Optimization for a Persistent Data Ferrying Unmanned Aircraft. Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, December 2015.

Neeti Wagle

Transfer Learning for Characterization of Small Unmanned Aircraft Communication. Computer Science, PhD, May 2015.

Wenceslao Shaw-Cortez

Energy-Aware Path Planning with UAS for Persistent Sampling and Surveillance, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, MS, December 2013.

Maciej Stachura

Cooperative Planning for UAS-based Sensor Networks In Realistic Communication Environments. Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, December 2013.

Jack Elston

Semi-Autonomous Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Sampling Tornadic Supercell Thunderstorms,  Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, May 2011.

Cory Dixon

Controlled Mobility of Unmanned Aircraft Chains to Optimize Capacity in Realistic Communication Environments, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, PhD, August 2010.

Tristan Gerritsen

Particle Filter for UAS Airfield Localization Using Passive Sensors in GPS-denied Environments, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, MS, July 2008.

Jennifer O’Brien

Multi-vehicle Aerospace Simulation Environment, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, MS, May 2008.

Independent Study

  1. Margaret Wussow, 2022-2024.
  2. Nicholas Kenny, 2020.
  3. Young-Young Shen, 2016-2017.
  4. Thomas Lillis, 2015-2016.
  5. William Finnamore, 2015-2016.
  6. Peter Merrick, 2015-2016.
  7. Frank Erdesz, Fall 2013.
  8. Kevin Rauhauser, Fall 2012-2013.
  9. Eric Brighton, Spring 2011.
  10. Philip Holtzman, May 2010.
  11. Spencer Riggs, Spring 2009.
  12. Kimberly Kroh, Spring 2009.